On Mon, Dec 06, 1999 at 01:09:45AM -0500, Jeff Teunissen wrote: > An example case would be the patent on the MP3 compression algorithm. If > there is only one way to create an MP3 stream, then there's no way around > it. If, however, there is another way to create an "MP3" that does not > use the patented algorithm (not even an obfuscated or modified version of > it), then you have found a legal way around it through > reverse-engineering.
This is completely different. Up to this paragraph you were talking about copyrights. The example you mention is about patents. You can't "reverse engineer" patents -- the description of the patented process is available to the public. (Well, it should be. The NSA can get secret patents.) Richard Braakman
